Trade center’s a big win
There’s a win-win situation coming to Brooklyn with an agreement to create the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Caribbean American Trade Center in the historic Erasmus Hall Academy Building — in the heart of Brooklyn’s Caribbean community.
Small businesses in the city will benefit from this joint venture — between the chamber and the Department of Education — designed to help promote small-business services, create jobs and provide skills-building programs.
The agreement will be formally announced on Wednesday at the chamber’s 27th anniversary membership business network meeting at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St., at 5:30 p.m.
“We could not have arrived at this major milestone without the demonstrated support and commitment of our stakeholders,” said chamber president and founder Roy Hastick.
Through initiative, funding has been obtained to rehabilitate the academy building, located on the grounds of Erasmus High School in Flatbush. The restored structure will house the CACCI’s Caribbean American Trade Center.
For information on the 27th Anniversary Membership Business Networking Reception, CACCI membership, small-business services, vending opportunities at the Flat- bush Caton Market or small-business confidential counseling services, call CACCI at (718) 834-4544 or send email questions to info@caccitradecenter.com.
Twin-island nation gala
The Trinidad and Tobago United Cultural Association — which has been promoting the Caribbean nation for a half-century — will hold its annual black-tie Independence and Scholarship Ball on Saturday in Brooklyn at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge.
This year’s ball commemorates the 50th anniversaries of the twin-island nation and the association, said gala committee and co-chair TATUCA President Alethea St. Bernard-Marshall.
The affair starts with a cocktail hour at 8 p.m. and continues with dinner and dancing to the music of the Sunshine Band until 1 a.m.
Golden Jubilee Honorees being recognized at the event include: Machel Montano (Entertainer of Year Award), Credit Suisse investment banker Wendell Adrian Mottley (Leadership Award), Mohan Jaikaran (Businessman of the Year Award), Jean Leon (Humanitarian Award), former Miss World Giselle Jeanne-Marie Laronde-West (Image Award) and Sonny Lawrence (TATUCA’s Lifetime Achievement Award). Tickets are $150 per person. For tickets and information, call (646) 261-3418, (717) 696-5957 or send email inquiries to alethea404@aol.com or to glawson30@aol.com.
Region comes up golden in Olympics
Here’s to Team Caribbean, which represented the region exceedingly well at the London Olympics, holding its own and upstaging many of the world’s biggest nations in track and field. And with Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, the Bahamas 4x400-meter relay squad and 19-year-olds Kirani James of Grenada and Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago capturing first-place honors, the future for the region looks golden. As former Boys High School coach Doug Terry often said of his formidable, multitalented Brooklyn track team, the Caribbean teams in London possessed “quality not quantity.” Although the odds were seemingly against the outfinanced and outnumbered smaller nations, quality defeated quantity again and again.
Individually and on Jamaica’s impressive world-record setting 4x100-meter relay squad, Bolt and teammate Yohan Blake fared well in the coverage. But sadly, NBC virtually ignored the ascension of other Caribbean teams and decline of the American dominance in certain events. One example was the Bahamas’ big win in the mens’ 4x400 meter relay. NBC barely mentioned the Caribbean win as it rushed to do yet another on-air interview with South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius, whose relay team finished last in the race.
Another slight was Walcott’s win for Trinidad and Tobago in the javelin, an event virtually owned by European nations. This big victory was underplayed.
And Grenada did not go unscathed in the coverage. NBC, in closed captioning, and a Fox News newscaster identified 400-meter winner James’ country of origin as Granada, which is a region in Spain.
5K honors Marcus Garvey
With fitness and culture in mind, the Sons and Daughters of Jamaica will be hosting its annual 5K run/walk next Sunday in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, starting at 9 p.m.
The event is being held in honor of Jamaican national hero Marcus Garvey.
There will be trophies for the best athletes, T-shirts to the first 50 participants and refreshments at the event, which will start in the park near Lincoln Road and Ocean Ave. The community-based Sons and Daughters of Jamaica serves communities in New York and Jamaica. Call (718) 712-5034 for information on the race and the organization.